Why was it in News?
- The Ministry of Finance has launched two Information Technology (IT) initiatives – ICEDASH and ATITHI.
What are these?
- ICEDASH- Dashboard for monitoring of customs clearance of imported goods.
- ATITHI – mobile app for international travelers to file the Customs declaration in advance → to facilitate arriving international passengers.
- Both the initiatives have been developed by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
ICEDASH
- It is an Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) monitoring dashboard of the Indian Customs that will help the public see the daily customs clearance times of import cargo at various ports and airports.
- It will help the businesses in comparing clearance times across ports and thus plan their logistics accordingly.
- Developed in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
ATITHI
- It is a mobile app for international travelers to file the Customs declaration in advance.
- Passengers can use this app to file declaration of dutiable items and currency with the Indian Customs even before boarding the flight to India.
- It would encourage tourism and business travel to India
